'We Played Against 12 Men'

Sir Alex could land himself in trouble after comments made about how the referee was helping Roma throughout the game yesterday.

The Scot was not in one of his best moods so he had not hesitation to launch an attack on Fandel after the 2-1 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico.

'Considering we played with ten men - mostly against 12 men - for over an hour, this is a good result for us,' he said. 'I don't think we got a decision all night but that is European football, I'm afraid.'

Must agree with him up to this point but there's more to come.

'I can't have any complaints about Scholes's first booking but I do have complaints about the second one,' Fergie continued.

Well, if we complain, it can be only for the first one... that was a bit harsh.

'In a big game like that, a good referee would not have sent him off, 'Fergie went on.

'In my opinion Chivu got Scholes sent off because of his reaction to the referee. The referee told us before the game that if anyone attempted to get another player booked they would be sent off themselves. But that wasn't the case at all and it left us in a very difficult position.'

Chivu gave the thumbs-up after Scholes' second booking but I think it's ridiculous to say Chivu got Scholes sent off. At the moment of the foul, Fandel reached for his pocket so he made that decision on his own. As for not sending off in a big game: I must say that rules apply to big games, too so that's a peculiar comment.

If we want to complain, let's say the majority of decisions came against us that made our task almost impossible. But we survived, and as Fergie said, due to the away goal, we have a fantastic chance to go through. Sir Alex praised Rooney, too, claiming his composure was fantastic and added that playing at home will be a great advantage for us. So be it.

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